Syd's absence in Bad Boys: Ride or Die is felt, but referenced during Mike's wedding reception. Proof that Mike and Syd could have ended up together, as hinted in the fourth film. Bringing back Gabrielle Union as Syd could have improved the movie, connecting past storylines.

Bad Boys: Ride or Die includes a big reference to Syd, and it only makes Gabrielle Union's absence from the sequel worse. Audiences were introduced to Marcus Burnett's sister, Sydney Burnett, in Bad Boys II, which marked Gabrielle Union's debut in the franchise. The sequel brought her into the fold to be the new love interest for Will Smith's Mike Lowrey. The two had great chemistry in the film and were together when Bad Boys II ended. This understandably created an expectation that Syd would have a continued presence in the franchise from that point on.

Instead, the Bad Boys movies have...